Process for waving hair



Patented Aug. 6, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS FOR WAVING HAmporation of Minnesota No Drawing. Application February 11, 1942, SerialNo. 430,474

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to the permanent waving of hair, andespecially to the waving of hair on the human head.

The most popular methods of permanently waving hair involve theapplication to the hair 5' of alkaline reagents which, under theinfluence of heat,-soften the hair to a point where plastic flow occurs,and, upon cooling, the hair is found to have acquired a permanent set.During these operations, the hair is wound about a mandrelwhichdetermines the ultimate shape of the waved tress.

From a chemical standpoint, hair may be considered as a fibrous protein(specifically, keratin). comprised of amino acids joined through amidelinkages to form long chain structures called polypeptides. The chemicalproperties of hair are determined to a large extent by the amino acidcystine. present. In such a protein there is a disulfide linkage whichin permanent waving appears to be broken and the keratin thus modified.

In addition to the rupturing of the disulfide linkages, hair to bewaveable must have proper v2 plastic flow properties. Waving reagents inpopular use at the present time comprise chemicals capable of rupturingthe disulfide linkages, in conjunction with other chemicals which have amarked effect on the plastic flow properties of keratin and swell orplasticize the hair at the same time that the disulfide linkages arereduced. It thus becomes possible to wave hair by wrapping a chemicallytreated tress about a mandrel of suitable dimensions. actually stretchesthe hair and this induces plastic flow. The use of heat greatlyaccelerates the rate of flow and allows the waving operation to becarried out in a comparatively short period of time.

The most popular waving compositions in use today include compoundswhich have mild reducing properties and are capable of rupturing thedisulfide linkages previously described, in

conjunction with other compounds which have a marked eifect on theplastic flow properties of keratin. Such waving compositions, however,have the outstanding disadvantage that at ele vated temperatures theynot only accomplish the desired functions of reduction andplasticization,

but they also degrade keratin to a significant degree. They attack thepolypeptide chains and alter permanently the physical properties of thematerial. The importance of hair damage during per- The proteins as aclass may be said to be 15 The wrapping operation 35 Modern hairtreating methods in general are so.

destructive to keratin that it has become a physical impossibility, withthe waving processes available to the industry, to satisfactorilywavemany heads of hair. For example, hair that has been bleached repeatedlybecomes so susceptible to chemical attack that very often completephysical destruction occurs during normal waving procedures.

It has been proposed to wave hair without the use of heat, for exampleby using inorganic sulfides and hydrosulfides to reduce the hair to apoint where it may be permanently waved at room temperature. Suchcompounds, however, also have depilatory properties and it is obvious,therefore, that they must be very carefully used in order to avoiddegradation or even complete destruction of the hair. Moreover, thesereagents are unstable and tend to break down with the evolution ofhydrogen sulfide, an extremely toxic substance which may enter the bloodstream by absorption through the skin or inhalation, with serious andeven fatal results.

Again, this proposed process requires an alkalinity above pH 10. In thisrange of alkalinity, hydrolysis and swelling of keratin becomeappreciable and the hair is significantly and permanently damaged.

A suggested improvement upon the practice just described is the use ofsulfide solutions having low total alkalinity. While this reduction ofalkalinity will minimize hair damage, the process offers no solution tothe very serious problems of toxicity.

Accordingly, it has been the practice to carry out the so-called coldwaving process in a closed system in which the reducing sulfidesolutions are applied to the hair and removed without being exposed tothe air. This necessitates the use of special rods upon which the hairis wound and a rubber cap and connections to provide for the circulationof the reducing solution without its exposure to the air or the escapeof objectionable gases or odors.

Even with these precautions and control of alkalinity, the objectionablesulfide reducing solution still comes in contact with the subjectsscalp, resulting in danger of poisoning.

, need for a safe process which may be practiced with equipment nowavailable in the industry and which involves methods which are simple 3and understandable to the average beauty operator.

We have found that it is not necessary to expose hair to both chemicalsand heat during the waving process. In practicing our invention, weemploy chemicals, but only 'as-a preliminary step to condition the hairand render it susceptibleto a permanent waving process.

chemical and exposed only to water.

It is an object of our invention to provide an improved process andcomposition for waving hair.

A further object is the provision of a process in which the hair may bereduced to a waveable condition prior to winding it on the mandrel.

Still another object is to provide an improved process in which the hairmay be substantially free of reducing chemicals during the actual wavingoperation.

A further object is to impart a permanent wave to hair without requiringthe use of such high temperatures as will decompose or injure thesubstance of the hair.

Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear as thedescription proceeds.

In carrying out our invention the hair may first be shampooed with a.shampoo composition which may include a suitable organic reducing agent.The preliminary reduction of the hair thus accomplished in the course ofthe shampoo greatly simplifies the subsequent further reduc tion of thehair to a point where it is capable of being waved. A suitable shampoofor this pur- Ammonium hydroxide to adjust alkalinity to pH 9. Water inquantity suflicient to make 100 This shampoo solution is left on thehair for a suitable period of time, which may be fifteen minutes, forexample, for the average head of hair, but will vary according to thetype, condition and texture of the hair and the strength of the wavedesired.

The shampoo is then removed by usual rinsing methods and the hair maythen be dried, although drying at this point is not necessary. Attentionis called to the fact that because normal rinsing operations are notthorough, traces of the shamp compositions may be retained by the hair.Applicants statements appearing throughout the specification and claimsof this application. dealing with. hair substantially free of chemical,and rinsing operations to accomplish t is purpose. should be construedwith this fact in mind.

Following the shampooing operation just described, the hair is insuitable condition for permanent waving with any of the usual but wavingmethods without further chemical treatment. However, if low temperaturewaving is eontemplated, the hair may be reduced further in a principalreducing operation, for example with the following solution:

Per cent Thioglycolic acid 5 Ammonium hydroxide to bring the solution topH 9. Water in quantity sufllcient to make 100 This reducingsolution isleft in contact with the hair for a time, which again is variabledepending upon the character and condition of the During the Wavingoperation, the hair is substantially free of normal. After suitablereduction'has been obf l tained, the reducing solution is rinsed fromthehair and the hair is again dried.

It is not'necessary to-include a reducing agent I in the preliminaryshampoo. This may be a conventional shampoo, followed by a reducingtreatment which may, for example, be carried out with the followingsolution:

Per cent Thioglycolic acid 10 Ammonium hydroxide to pH 9.

Water to mak Or, in lieu of the foregoing treatments, the hair may betreated with a solution prepared by dissolving 10 grams of sodiumsulfite and 5 grams of sodium bisulfite in 100 cc. of water. The pH ofthis solution will be found to be about 6 and by varying the ratio ofsulfite to bisulflte this may be varied as desired. We prefer a pH rangeof 5 to 8 for best results. This treatment is suitable when the hair isto be heated after it is wound on the mandrel.

As an additional method of improving the effectiveness of our process,we have found it advantageous to pre-treat the hair to be waved with asolution of an ammonium or amine compound. For example, a 10 per centsolution of ammonium carbonate in water applied to hair for 5 minutesand then removed by rinsing with water will render the hair moresusceptible to a sulfite or thioglycolate reduction. Before the reducingsolution is applied, we prefer to dry the hair to some extent. Completedehydration is not necessary and good results have been obtained bysimply rubbing the hair with a towel. This eliminates the excess waterand prevents dilution of the reducing solution. The sulflte orthioglycolate solotion is left on the hair for 10 or 15 minutes and itis then rinsed out and the hair wound in the manner hereinafterdescribed.

It should be emphasized that prior to winding on the mandrel, the hair iin a waveable condition and may be waved without further chemicaltreatment.

While the hair is in a wet, reduced, waveable state, handling orphysical abuse of the hair should be avoided. Once dried, the hair maybe easily handled and manipulated without difficulty and without damageto the hair.

After the hair has been reduced to the proper condition, the reducingagent rinsed out and the hair dried, it is divided into tresses orsections and each section is separately wound on a mandrel or rodsuitable to produce the desired type and size of wave. For best wavingresults. the wound hair should be at least damp with water during thewaving operation.

The wave may be imparted to the hair at room temperature, without theapplication of heat. However, we prefer the application of varyingdegrees of heat, for example to 212 F. The degree of heat is notcritical, but when the waving is to be carried out at lowertemperatures, the degree of preliminary reduction of the hair must becorrespondingly increased, as by the second reducing step discussedabove.

After being wound on the mandrel, the hair may be fixed or set by theapplication of an oxidizing solution. This oxidizing treatment isoptional if the coils have been heated but is necessary is the waving iscarried out entirely at room temperature. The oxidizing solution may bea 3% solution of ammonium iodate in water.

aaoaies To this composition it is desirable to add a wetting agent toassist the penetrating properties of the solution. We have found dioctyl sodium sulfo succinate to be effective for this purpose, but-otherknown wetting agents may be substituted.

Sufiicient time is allowed for penetration of the oxidizing agentthrough the curl. Ten minutes is normally sufficient for this purpose.

If the hair is heated, the oxidation treatment, if used, is appliedafter the heating. Oxidation is particularly desirable in cases ofreduced temperature waving where large numbers of disulfide linkagesmust be ruptured before the hair is rendered waveable.

After the oxidizing treatment, the hair is unwound and rinsed inlukewarm water. At this point. it will be observed, the hair hasacquired a permanent wave. The condition of the hair will be found to begood with no appreciable damage having occurred.

The permanent wave which results from the process just described is softand natural in appearance. As has been indicated above, the strength ofthe curl may be increased by increasing the time during which the hairis exposed to the organic reducing solution. 'The same result may alsobe obtained by increasing the concentration of the reducing agent in orbv the degree of heat applied.

' Still another very effective method of enhancing the effectiveness ofthe process is through the solution,

1 the use of a hair dryer. By placing the head under the dryer after thereducing solution has been applied and before it is removed from thehair, the rate and extent of the reaction may be accelerated. Such aheating operation is not comparable with the so-called hot wavingmethods. In these methods it is common practice to use electricalheating elements or chemical heating pads. Temperatures obtained withsuch heating may, as indicated above, be in excess of 200 F. With anormal hair dryer, temperatures rarely exceed 160 F. and the head, ofcourse, never reaches this temperature.

In the above disclosure of a preferred form of our invention, we havegiven examples of various chemical agents which may be used. However,there are many other agents which we have found suitable and effective.

In piace of sulfated lauryl alcohol in the shampoo, various otherdetergents may be used, among which may be mentioned sulfated alcohols,sulfonated ethers, sodium stearate and the like.

Among the substitutes for the thioglycolic acid used in the reducingsolution, other thio Among other wetting agents suitable for use inplace of di octyl sodium sulfo succinate, mention may be made ofsulfonated oils and the like. It is thus clear that the invention issubject to wide variation and range in conditions and agents, within thescope of the appended claims.

We claim: l. The process of waving hair which comprises treating thehair simultaneously with a reducing agent for keratin and with adetergent, for a period of approximately ten to fifteen minutes, rinsingthe reducing agent and the detergent from the hair, forming the hairinto a desired configuration and exposing the moist hair, which issubstantially free of reducing agent, to a temperature of at leastapproximately F.

2. The process of treating hair which comprises treating the hairsimultaneously with a thioglycoliate and with a detergent, for a periodof approximately ten to fifteen minutes, rinsing the thioglycollate andthe detergent from the hair, forming the hair into a desiredconfiguration and exposing the moist hair, which is substantially freeof thioglycollate, to a temperature of at least approximately 180 F.

3. The process of treating hair which comprises treating the hair with areducing agent for keratin, rinsing the reducing agent from the hair,forming the hair into a desired configuration and heating the moist airin the substantial absence of reducing agent to a temperature of atleast approximately 180. F.

4. The process of waving hair which comprises treating the hair with athio-organic reducing agent, rinsing the reducing agent from the hair.forming the hair into a desired configuration and heating the moist hairto a temperature of at least approximately 180 F. in the substantialabsence of reducing agent.

RAYMOND E. REED. DAVID TENENBAUM. MARION DEN BESTE.

